Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I purchased the Skil 9" band saw almost 5 months ago and I use it almost daily for small wood crafting projects. It has been fantastic, but there are some things you need to be aware of: Prior to my purchase I had read a negative review stating that this is under powered. It's certainly NOT under powered, BUT after 2 months of regular use I did experience a significant drop in power. After some troubleshooting I found that the drive belt was loose. Once I tightened that drive belt it had more power than it did when I unboxed it. I was able to rip a 2x4 like a hot knife through butter. It comes with a low quality, 4 TPI blade installed. Depending on what you are using this for and how often, you may want to set that one aside and install a better quality blade while you are putting this together. I use a higher tooth count for the cuts I make. The plastic blade guide in the table broke after about 4 months. It had popped out once or twice while cutting some curves and pieces of plastic. The last time it popped out, it went sideways, the blade hit it and it shattered into so many pieces I couldn't even find all of them... SO, when you get yours, you may want to glue that down with some temporary glue or replace it immediately. *Do not permenantly glue it down because you need to remove that part to replace the blade.** Keep it clean. If you use it frequently, vacuum it out often and make sure you clean the rubber on the drive wheel. I noticed that it can get caked with debris in spite of the wheel brush that rides against it. I used some 400 grit sand paper and gently scrubbed off the caked on debris. Mind you, this is after me using this almost daily to cut wood and plastic for 3 months. If you use this THAT often, you may want to clean it more frequently. In summary, I highly recommend the Skil 9" bandsaw. This has been fantastic for me and my daily use, but keep in mind it is a 9" band saw, so it's for smaller wood working projects. It has PLENTY of power for it's intended use. The widest thing you can cut will be 9" wide and I wouldn't try to rip wood thicker than 4 inches. IF yours seems to lose power over time, check the drive belt. A loose drive belt can cause a loss of power. And keep it clean, and make sure you keep your saw sharp and you will have no problems.